September 12
The Most Holy Name of Mary
Saturday, week 23 in Ordinary Time
Africa : St Marcellinus, martyr
The Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary is a celebration established to honor the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its significance in the history of Christian devotion. The feast originated in Spain in the late 16th century and was extended to the Universal Church by Pope Innocent XI in the late 17th century, after the Christian victory at the Siege of Vienna, a pivotal event that many attributed to Mary's intercession. Since then, the Church encourages the faithful to reflect on the power, beauty, and holiness attached to the name of Mary, which has been a source of comfort, inspiration, and protection for Christians across the centuries.
Mary’s name, deeply rooted in Scripture and tradition, expresses her role as Mother of God and her closeness to the faithful. Devotion to the Holy Name of Mary reminds believers of her example of discipleship and her constant intercession. Liturgically, the feast offers a chance to meditate on Mary’s virtues—her humility, obedience, and profound faith—and to invoke her aid in daily life. The feast also highlights the importance of names in salvation history and God’s loving intervention through Mary. By venerating her name, Catholics are called to a deeper love of Christ and greater trust in God, following Mary's example of total surrender to God’s will.
Permanent link
Ask a question about today’s feast
Questions about The Most Holy Name of Mary (Novus Ordo Missae)
Local variations
- Africa — St Marcellinus, martyr
The liturgical day
Mass readings
Reading1 Co 10, 14-22
My beloved,
flee from the worship of idols.
I speak to you as to reasonable people;
judge for yourselves what I say.
The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?
Because there is one bread,
though we are many, we are one body,
for we all share the one bread.
Look at what happens among the Israelites:
those who eat the sacrifices offered on God's altar,
are they not in communion with him?
I am not implying
that the meat offered to idols or that the idols themselves
are anything.
But I am saying that the sacrifices of the pagans
are offered to demons and not to God,
and I do not want you to be in communion
with demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord
and at the same time the cup of demons;
you cannot take part at the table of the Lord
and at the same time at the table of demons.
Do we want to provoke the Lord’s jealous anger?
Are we stronger than he is?
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 115 (116b), 12-13, 17-18
How can I repay the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?
I will raise the cup of salvation,
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice,
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord,
yes, in the presence of all his people.
GospelLc 6, 43-49
At that time,
Jesus said to his disciples:
“A good tree does not produce rotten fruit;
nor does a rotten tree ever produce good fruit.
Every tree is known by its own fruit:
no one picks figs from thorns;
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person brings good out
of the treasure of a good heart;
and a wicked person brings evil out
of a wicked heart:
for what the mouth says
is what overflows from the heart.
And why do you call me, ‘Lord! Lord!’
and not do what I say?
Everyone who comes to me,
hears my words and puts them into practice,
I will show you what such a person is like.
He is like someone building a house.
He dug down deep
and laid the foundation on rock.
When the flood came,
the river dashed against that house,
but could not shake it
because it was well built.
But the one who heard
and did not act
is like a man who built his house
directly on the ground, without a foundation.
The river rushed against it,
and immediately it collapsed;
the destruction of that house was complete.”
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org